Method of sawing lumber.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

, J. c. KILLAM. METHOD OF SAWING LUMBER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 9, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 11 N0 MODEL.

N07 723,469. PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1903.

- v J. 0. KILLAIVL,

METHOD OF SAWING LUMBER.

APPLICATION FILED F0 7- 9, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 Mont.

Tu: Mom-us min 00.. PNOTO-LITHQ, wnsmumom 0. c4

UNITED STAT S PAT NT OFFICE.

JAMES C. KILLAM, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF SAWING LUMBER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 723,469, dated March 24, 1903.

Application filed November 9, 1901. Serial No. 81,692. (No mfidel-l To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES C. KILLAM, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Methods of Sawing Lumber, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a. specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a novel method of sawing a log into lumber, and it has particular reference to the sawing of what are known as rift-sawn clapboards, by which is meant clapboards which are sawed from the log by making a series of radial cuts extending lon-v gitudinally of the log, so that the width of.

the clapboard as it is taken fromthe log is radial of the log.

The common method now employed in sawing rift-sawn clapboards is to make a series of cuts longitudinally of the log, the said cuts being of a depth approximately equal to the width of the clapboard into which the log is to be sawed. The cuts thus made show parallel lines on the circumferential surface of the log, while at the end of the log they extend in radial directions, so that all ofthe clapboards into which the log is sawn have itheir thick edges at the circumference of the When a large log is being cut into clapboards according to the existing method, a series of cuts, such as described, are made completely around the exterior surface of the log, after which the log is removed from the sawmill and the clapboards thus cut are stripped from the core.

Usually clapboards are about six inches in width, and when a log of a diameter of, say,

thirty inches is being sawed into clapboards the first set of clapboards which are sawed from the exterior thereof would reduce the diameter of the log twice the width of the clap-.

is that commonly employed, all of the cuts are made on radial lines whether the log is of a large or of a small diameter, it will be seen that when a log of large diameter is being sawed the radial cuts are much more nearly parallel than they are when a log of comparatively small diameter is being sawed, for when a log of the minimum diameter is being thus sawed the angular distance between the various cuts must be sufiicient so that the space between the inner limit of each cut shall be as great as the thinnest edge of the finished clapboard is to be, while in a log of large di-.

ameter the distance between the cuts on the exterior of the log will be substantially equal to. the thickness of the clapboard at its thickest edge. In both of these extreme sizes of logs the resultant clapboard requires considerable trimming in order to bring it to the right taper,and this trimming occasions a consequent loss or waste of material.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel method of sawing rit'tsawn clapboards, wherein a minimum amount of waste will be occasioned and whereby the clapboards as they come from the sawmill are of substantially the required taper, so that very little planing of the clapboard is required in the finishing thereof. In order to accomplish this, instead of making the cuts all radial, as

heretofore, so that. the thick edges of all the.

clapboards are at the exterior of the log and the thin edges thereof toward the center, I saw the logs in such a way' that a portion. of the clapboards in each row of clapboards will have their thick edges toward the center, the number of such clapboards depending upon the size of the log which is being sawed. By thus sawing the log so that certain of the clapboards have their thick edges toward the center and their thin edges on the periphery of the log all of the clapboards sawed from the exterior of any-sized log may be cut to approximately the required taper. In thus cutting logs according to my method the log or block of the required length is firsttrimmed up or turned around in a suitable lathe and is then placed in a suitable sawmill. Two cuts or kerfs are then made longitudinally of the log by any suitable sawing device, the said cuts being of a depth equal to the width of the clapboard and diverging toward the center of the log to saw a clapboard having its thin edge toward the exterior and its thick edge toward the center of the log. Thereafter one or more cuts are made longitudinally of the log and of the same depth as the previous cuts, but converging in a radial direction toward the out last made. After one or more of these converging radial cuts have been made, which converging cuts saw from the log clapboards having their thiok'edges toward the exterior, another cut is made which diverges in a radial direction from the cut or kerf last made, thus sawing another clapboard, with its thick-edge toward the center, this operation being repeated until the longitudinal cuts are made completely around the log. The nu mber of cuts which are made in a diverging radial direction depend upon the size of the log. The log when thus sawed with one round of cuts present-s aplurality of series of cuts, two outs of each series having a diverging radial direction, the remaining cuts of the series having a converging radial direction.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I shows in perspective a log which is partially sawed. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are diagrammatic views showing my method as applied to logs of varying diameters.

The log to be sawed, of whatever diameter, will'first be trued up or turned round in a suitable lathe, as is customary, and will then preferably be placed in any suitable sawmill for the purpose of making cuts or kerfs extending longitudinally of the log in a sub stantially radial direction.

Referring to Fig. 2, wherein my invention is shown as applied in cutting logs of two different diameters, and referring first to the right-hand portion of Fig. 2, which is supposed to represent a log of, say, forty-two inches in diameter, in this case the sawmill will be so adjusted as to make a cut (designated by 3) which extends longitudinally of the log 4, as shown in Fig. 1, and which diverges toward the center of the log from the radial line shown by dotted lines and designated by 5.- Thereafter the carriage supporting the log is so adjusted that the saw will make the second cut, (designated by 4,) which also diverges from the radial line 5 toward the center of the log, the space at the exterior of the log between the cuts 3 and 4 being.

approximately equal to the thinnest edge of the clapboard and the divergence between the cuts 3 and 4 being such that the space between the inner ends of the cuts at 6 is approximately equal to the thick edge of the desired clapboard, it being understood, of course, that each of the cuts,3 and at is of a depth equal to the width of the clapboard desired. These two cuts 3 and 4 therefore are so made as to cut from the log a clapboard 7, having its thick edge toward the center and its thin edge at the exterior of the log. Thereafter the sawmill-carriage will be so adjusted that the next cut 8 will be made in such a direction as to converge toward the out 4, as illustrated, the said out 8 being so made that the space between the same and the cut 4 at the exterior of the log is equal to the thick edge of the clapboard, while the space between the said cuts at the inner edge thereof is equal to the thickness of the thin edge of the clapboard. The fourth cut or kerf 9 will be made similar to the kerf 8, wherebya series of clapboards are cut from the log, one of the clapboards 7 having the thin edge at the exterior of the log and its thick edge toward the center thereof, while the remaining clapboards 10 of the series have their thick edges at the exterior and the thin edges toward the center of the log. The next subsequent cut 11 will be made similar to cut 4that is, in a diverging direction toward the center of the log from the adjacent cut 9thus sawing a clapboard with the thick edge toward the center and the thin edge at the exterior of the log, this cut or kerf 11 being such as to cut the first clapboard of a new series of clapboards which are made by the succeeding cuts 12 and 13, the cuts 12 and 13 being similar in all respects to Sandi). This operation is repeated until one round of cuts has been made, and Fig. 2 will show that the round of cuts saws a plurality of series of clapboards, one clapboard of each series having its thick edge toward the center of the log, the remaining clapboards of the series having their thin edges toward the center. I have used the term a series of clapboards as meaning those clapboards which are cut in one sequence of operationsthat is, the block of clapboards comprising one clapboard with its thick edge toward the center and the next succeeding clapboards having their thin edges toward the center.

In Fig. 2, above referred to, the three clapboards 7, l0, and 20 form one series and the succeeding three clapboards form the second series.

In a log having a diameter above thirty-six inches I have found that I can obtain the most economical results by making the cuts as illustrated at theright in Fig. 2that is, with every third cut diverging in a radial direction toward the center of the last-named out, whereby the clapboards are cut in a series of three, one clapboard of each series having its thick edge toward the center of the 102.

Atthe left-hand side of Fig. 2 I have shown diagrammatically the manner of cutting a log substantially thirty-six inches in diameter, and it will be seen that this is the same in all respects as that for the larger-sized log-that is, the round of cuts will be such that the clapboards will be cutin series of three, every third clapboard having its thick edge toward the center, and the cuts or kerfs will be made in the same order as described above.

Referring to Fig. 3, at the rightv of said figure is shown the manner of adopting my method to a log of from thirty to thirty-six inches in diameter, and in this case the most economical manner of cutting will be to make the round of kerfs or cutsin such a way that every fourth clapboard will be cut with the thick edge toward the center. In this case, therefore, there are four clapboards in each series, as shown by 30, 31, 32, and 33, one clapboard of the series 30 having its thick edge toward the center and the other three clapboards 31, 32, and 33 having their thin edges toward the center.

For logs of from twenty four to thirty inches in diameter I prefer to make the kerfs in such a way that the clapboards will be cut in series of six, one clapboard of each six having its thick edge toward the center, or, in other words, the cuts will be so made that every sixth clapboard will be oppositely disposed from the other clapboard. This application of my method is shown in the left hand of Fig. 3 and at the bottom thereof, wherein 40 designates the five clapboards of each series, having their thin edge toward the center, and 41 designates the one clapboard of each series, having its thick edge toward the center.

For smallensized logs, as illustrated in Fig. 4, good results may be obtained by making the cuts so that every ninth clapboard may be out with its thick edge toward the center of the log, in which case each series of clapboards is composed of nine, and one clapboard 50 in each series has its thick edge toward the center, the remaining eight clapboards 49 having their thin edges toward the center.

\Vhile I have herein shown the best manner now known to me of applying my invention in the sawing of different-sized logs, yet I wish to say that the cuts may be so made that the number of cuts or clapboards in each series will be five or seven instead of six or nine, as illustrated, or the cuts may be so disposed that the series of clapboards may comprise any number, it only being essential that one clapboard of each series should have its thick edge toward the center of the log, so that when one round of cuts has been made a certain number of clapboards which have been cut will have their thin edges toward the exterior of the log and their thick edges toward the center of the log, the number depending upon the size of the log.

I have found by employing this method of cutting the log into clapboards that a large amount of stock which usually goes to waste may be saved, for the various cuts may be so disposed that each clapboard as it is cut from the log will have approximately the required taper, and a minimum amount of planing or trimming of the clapboards will be required in the finishing of them.

I desire to state that my method is not dependent upon any particular kind or construction of sawmill.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of sawinglogsinto rift-sawn clapboards, which consists in making a plurality of series of kerfs longitudinally of the log and extending toward the center thereof, and each of said series comprising at least three kerfs, two of which diverge from the circumference of the log toward the center thereof and the remainder of which converge toward the center whereby a plurality of series of clapboards are sawed, one clapboard of each series having its thick edge toward the center of the log, and the remainder of the clapboards of each series having their thin edges toward the center of the log.

2. The method of sawing logs into rift-sawn clapboards, which consists in making a vplurality of series of kerfs longitudinally of the log, each series containing three or more kerfs, two of the kerfs of each series being cut to diverge from each other in a direction radially of the log and have the same angle with a radial line drawn midway between them, and the remainder of the kerfs of each series being cut to converge toward each other and toward one of the diverging cuts whereby a plurality of series of clapboards are sawed, one clapboard of each series being situated exactly radially of the log and having its thick edge toward the center of the log, and the other clapboards of each series having their thin edges toward the center of the log.

3. The method of sawinglogsinto rift-sawn clapboards, which consists in making two cuts or kerfs longitudinally of the log and diverging from each other in a radial direction toward the center of thelog, said kerfs having the same angular relation to a radial line drawn midway between them, then mak ing a plurality of longitudinal cuts which converge toward each other and toward one of the previously-made cuts in a radial direction toward the center of the log, subsequently making a out which diverges from the out last made in a direction toward the center of the log, the divergence being such that each of the two last cuts have the same angle with a radial line, then making a plurality of converging cuts as above described, this operation being repeated, whereby a definite proportion of the entire number of clapboards cut are situated exactly radially of the log, and are cut with their thick edges toward the center of the log.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. KILLAM.

Witnesses:

LOUIS 0. SMITH, J OHN O. EDWARDS.

IIO 

